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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Monday, October 22, 2018

There is hope... First Full Moon by Michelle Alstead

"Though elements of the book have a surface familiarity, the author’s deft weave of the supernatural with universal coming-of-age themes is extraordinary. The meaning of family, love, and responsibility are examined through a plot that never slows down, from the opening horror show to the brutal climax." - Brian, Goodreads

Description:

Published: August 28th, 2018

More secrets. More lies. I’m going to die.

She wanted a car for her sixteenth birthday, not magical powers… Candy McGregor is a teenager living in Sequim Falls, a small East Coast town, where the McGregors own just about everything. While her grandmother grooms her to run the family business—a pharmaceutical empire—Candy dreams of a life where she’s known as more than just a last name.

When the monthly family dinner turns into a horror show, Candy discovers the McGregors aren’t so much blessed as they are cursed. At midnight on her sixteenth birthday, Candy inherits both the ability to do magic and the destiny to become a wolf on the next full moon. There is hope of a life that doesn’t require being chained up once a month. If Candy can undo the original spell that created the curse, she can rid the world of werewolves and remain a witch. But there’s one really big problem. Not everyone hates being a wolf. With the next full moon looming, Candy must take on forces that will do anything to stop her. Will she break the curse or surrender to life as a monster?

EXCERPT

The glass in Grandmother’s hand shatters, cutting her palm. Blood spills down her arm and onto the white table cloth. She grips the table, blood dripping from her ears. “Is this someone’s idea of a joke?”

My ears ring, making my brain feel as if it’s about to explode. Covering my ears, I survey the room. Bennett, Larkin, and Jasper stare with wide-eyes. They can’t hear the sound. If they could, they’d be in agony like my uncles, grandmother, and me.

It’s just like the whistle in the woods.

My grandmother knocks her chair to the floor, doubling over.

“Grandmother? What’s wrong?” I ask.

She turns toward me with glowing yellow eyes. Her hands have sprouted hair, and she’s torn her dress at the sides.

“You have to get out of here,” she growls.

“I don’t understand,” I say, standing up and putting weight on my injured foot. The pain is gone.

I scan the room as I back away from the table. My uncles are on the floor, writhing and screaming. They’re blocking the door, the only way out.

Larkin, Bennett, and Jasper get up from the table. We move to the east corner of the room, huddled against a wall. The noise grows louder, sending vibrations through my skull. My stomach churns, causing cramps that make me double over. “What is that?” I scream.

“I don’t know,” Larkin says. “But look at the moon.” She points out the window.

The full moon is at the highest point in the sky. We turn at the sound of a low growl. Uncle Samuel is on the floor. He has paws and a tail.

And he looks hungry. Really, really hungry.

Blood spills from my nose. The room swims before my eyes. One-by-one, my uncles scream, howl, and shift into wolves. I drop to my knees, not believing the scene before my eyes. The car accident must have caused a concussion. It’s the only explanation for what’s happening. Maybe if I close my eyes and go to sleep—my head is just so heavy—I’ll wake and everything will be normal again.

It wasn’t folklore. The wolf curse is real.

In a heartbeat, everything goes black.

TOUR SCHEDULEthe book is only .99 for a limited time and free on Kindle Unlimited

Michelle Alstead is a single, divorced mom of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, who tries to promote autism awareness and advocate for gender equality while raising Sheldon Cooper and searching for some semblance of a love life.

Michelle's novels are frequently available for free on Amazon Kindle. Sign up for her email list to receive notifications.

All of Michelle's adult novels take place in the same universe. Characters cross over between novels, which makes for a more interesting world.

One Last Try will be released Feb. 2018.

The Full Moon Series (four young adult supernatural stories) will be published in time for Halloween 2018.